Rolling toy



' 1,577,997 s. M. ALK

ROLLING TOY March 23 1926.

Filed Oct. 25, 1921 INVENTORY SAMUEL N. ALK

Patented Mar. 23, 1926.

UNiTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL M. ALK, 01E BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

ROLLING TOY.

Application filed October 25, 1921. Serial No. 510,307.

pended to reverse its direction of travel and return automaticallyto approximately the starting point, and which is inexpensive to manufacture and simple in operation.

.The object of this invention is to provide such a toy wherein relatively operating springs are so mounted with respect to the axis of a casing that movement of the latter in one direction will tend to wind up but one of said springs, the other remaining inoperative until the first named spring has spent its accumulated energy.

A further object of the invention is to so construct and arrange the operatingmechanism that it may be entirely contained within a casing, thereby tending to produce a more or less mystifyingphenomen'on as the sphere seemingly unaided reverses its direction of travel and returns to the start v springs 18 and 19 are oppositely disposed,

ing point,

Other objects will appear'throughout the following specification and be pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, wherein Fig. 1, is an elevational new of a ball with a portion of its casing broken away to show the operating mechanism.

Fig. 2, is a substantially vertical sectional view taken on the lines 2-2 of Figure 1.

Fig. 8, is a perspective view of the means used to wind each spring separately depending upon the rotation of the casing.

Referring to the drawing, 10 denotes a hollow spherical casing within which is secured an annular ring 11 having diametrically disposed bearing collars 12 project ing inward-1y toward each other. These bearings are axially aligned with each other and loosely support the opposite ends of an axial-rod 13 which carries midway of its length and at right angles thereto a depending weight supporting rod 1 1 and which is provided with a pair of slots 15 extending from points closely adjacent each side of the rod 14, and on a plane diametrically op posite to the rod 14, to points closely adjacent the inner faces of the collars 12.. The lower end of the rod 1 1 carries the central portion of a crescent shaped weight16 the outer surface of which is concentric with the inner periphery of the ring 11 and which extends upwardly at each end thereof a suficient distance to loosely bear about the bearing collars 12. Slidably mounted in each of the slotted openings 15 of the axialrod 13 are fiat spring actuating members 17 having slotted openings 17 adjacent their opposite ends, the axes of which are substantially parallel with the axis of the rod 1 1, and which looselysurround the inner end strands of the last coils of a pair of helical springs 18 and 19, the opposite ends of the springs being anchored permanently to the bearing collars 12 by means of staples 20. It will be noted that these springs 18 and 19 are loosely supported axially about the oppositely extending portions of the" axial-rod 13 i. e., at each side of the rod 14, and that the strand of the last coil is threaded through one of the slots 17 then through the other slot 17 at the opposite end of the member 17 and thereafter bent back upon itself to form a pivot 21. Furthermore, with particular reference to Figure 3, it will be noted that the coils of the observer, the weighted axial-rod 13 will remain stationary with respect to. the revolving casing 10 and the staple 20 of spring 19 will rotate with the bearing collar 12 and tend to wind up the spring itself closely about the portion of the axial-rod 13 to the left of the weight rod 14. The slide member 17 may or may not move axially of the slot 15 while the spring 19 is winding, but the slide member 17 in the opposite slot 15 will ride outwardly .away from the rod 1d and axially of the slot'15. This operation is caused by the rotation of the spring 18 about the axial-rod 13 in the same direction as that of the spring 1 9 .an operation due to the end of the spring 18 being secured tn the collar 12 which is turning with the casing 10. What actually l1appensis,that the 0011s of the spring 18 act as threads, and inthe propelling energy tobegin to unwind from the collarend, an operation which will reverse the movement of the casing 10 about the axis of rotation of the latter. Iii-doing this theball will return to substantially the point from which it started and the reverse rotation of the spring 18 will have returned the slide-member 17 to its initial position.

It willbe understood'that upon rolling the ball in adirection which is reversed from that which has ust been described the s rin 19 Will remain inooe 'ative and the other spring '18 will be wound about the axial-rod 13 until its accumulated power will react to automatically return the ball to its starting point.

Having fully described and ascertained the'nature and operation of my invention, what I claim and desire to secure-by Letters Patent is:

1. In a toy of the characted described, the combination with a revolvingcasing having a loosely dispose daxial rod, of oppositely actuated coiled. springs carried by the rod, a weighted member connected to said rod and adjustable-means mounted in longitudinally disposed slots in said rod and comprising slotted members loosely embracing the coils of the springs, the inner coils ofthe springs being provided with enlarged tips to prevent further relative movementof' the members in one direction.

2. In a toy of the character described, the-combination'with a spherical casing of oppositely disposed springs fixed at one of their ends to said casing and havingtheir axis in line with the axis of rotation of said casing, a weighted member loosely supported in said casing and'normally remaining stationa v with respect to said rotating casing, and means. movable axially of said weighted member and over. the coils of said springs in one direction and engaged with the opposite ends of said springs in the OPPOSlLU direction whereby rotation of said casing in opposite directions will tend to tension one or. the other of said springsl 8. in a revolving'toy of the character described, rotating annular ring, a weighted rod loosely mountedin line with the axis of rotation of said ring and adapted to remain stationary with respect to the latter and havingoppositely extending slots disposed longitudinally of said rod, slidable members having slots in opposite ends thereof and mount-ed in said slots, and coiled. springs tired at oneof their ends to said annular ring and at their opposite ends loosely embraced'by the slots inQsaid slide members,

whereby rotary movement of said ring in one direction will tend to wind one or the other of said springs about said rod, the other of said springs being rotated with the ring and moving its slide axially of said slot. 7

4. The combination, with a rotating frame, of oppositely actuated coiled springs, in line with the axis of rotation of said frame and secured at one of their ends thereto, a loosely mounted slotted axial rodcarrie'd by said frame axially of said springs and having a depending Weight adapted to hold therod' stationary with respect'to said frame, and means movable relatively of said axial rod and over the coils of said springs and in opposite directions, whereby the opposite ends of one or the other of said springs may be heldstationary with respect to the other endsdepending upon the direction of rotation of said frame about its rotary axis.

In testimony whereof, SAMUEL M. ALK, has signed his name to this specificat-ionthis 13th day of October 1921.

SAMUEL M. ALK. 

